Drapery-measuring device

ABSTRACT

A drapery-measuring device comprising an elongated member having alternate elastic and inelastic sections, each of which is respectively equal in length to the other similar sections in the device: in the preferred form, each inelastic section begins at a line extending transversely of the elongated member where one end of an inelastic section is stitched to a continuous elastic web, the piece comprising three portions across the width of the elongated member, the portions having their ends opposite the common portion terminating in stair-step fashion. Suitable markings may be provided.

United States Patent Gass [ 1 Feb. 29, 1972 [54] DRAPERY-MEASURINGDEVICE FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Sadie Gass, 1119Lincoln St., Hollywood, 5,158 5/1916 (he th-1min ,,33/107 CB 33020508,923 7/1939 Great Britain .33/137 1.

[22] Filed: June 4, 1969 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Hull [21] Appl'830353 Attorney-Lavine, Cantor 8L Reich [52] US. Cl ..33/137, 33/192,223/28, [57] ABSTRACT 8431/9/08 51 Int. Cl. "c0111 3/10 A p ying de iceCOmPHSmg an elongated member 5 Field of Search 33/192 137 L 107 CB;223/2 having alternate elastic and inelastic sections, each of which isrespectively equal in length to the other similar sections in the [56]References Cited device: in the preferred form, each inelastic sectionbegins at a line extending transversely of the elongated member whereUNITED STATES PATENTS one end of an inelastic section is stitched to acontinuous 1,148,306 7/1915 Fritz ..33/ 137 L UX elastic web, the piececomprising three portions across the 2,575,077 1 1/1951 Snyder ..33/ 137width of the elongated member, the portions having their ends 2,929,1461960 McNeil 33/192 UX opposite the common portion terminating instair-step 3,166,854 1/1965 Packer et a1. ..33/i92 fa5hion Suitablemarkings may be provided, 3,254,414 6/1966 Puthuff ..33/l37 L UX3,464,600 9/ 1969 McClintock et a1. ..33/ 137 L X 3 Claims, 5 DrawingFigures Patented Feb. 29, 1972 mvmwons SADIE GASS BY ia/09f 345%ATTORNEYS 1 DRAPERY-MEASURING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention pertains to a measuring device to be used in markingfabric material intended to be manufactured into pleated drapes.

Pleated drapes have pleats between which are plain, unpleated portions,the plain portions being of equal length. In addition, the materialwhich makes up the pleats should be of equallength in each of thepleats. Typically, the spacing between pleats may be 3, 3% or 4 inches,and the pleats should have at least 3% inches of material. In order tomark a piece of fabric which is to be manufactured into a drape, it isconventional to undertake calculations to determine the number of pleatsand the amount of material to be included in each pleat.

For example, a width of material to be manufactured into a panel of adrapery may be 36 inches. The finished drapery panel should have a widthof, in a given instance, 17% inches. It may be decided to provide thespacing portion of the finished drapery panel of a width of 3% inches,each. Consequently, it is necessary that a so-called drapery marker"worker calculate the number of spacer portions of the finished draperypanel, and then determine the remaining amount of the width of theinitial drapery fabric and to then determine from this remainder thenumber of pleats which it is possible to obtain, and then to determinethe amount of fabric which will be utilized in each pleat. It will beunderstood that these calculations are not easily performed even byexperienced drapery markers, and that in performing a number ofcalculations throughout a workday, it is not unusual for an error to bemade in the calculations: further, the calculations are time consuming.In one instance, in order to provide for the manufacture of multipledrapes for a large building having a thousand windows, three draperymarkers were required to mark the drapery fabric for a force of fivestitchers, who stitch the pleats into the drapery fabric on automaticsewing machines. Hence, it will be seen that the drapery markingfunction was time consuming, subject to error, and required muchmanpower relative to the actual sewing operation.

A-pleating tape has been provided which requires the'insertion of anumber of pins along the length of the tape and fabric. Apparentlybecause of the time consumed in associating the tape with thefabric,,and then inserting and withdrawing the marker pins, and becauseof the expense of the marker pins, this proposed solution to the problemhas not been generally utilized in commercial installations where alarge number of draperies were to be manufactured by a significantlylarge work force.

Another proposal for eliminating the above-noted calculations of thepleat distribution and pleat material width was a machine which isexpensiveand which requires considerable manipulation, including thesetting of dials, and the positioningof fingers in order to hold thefabric at the desired points. The holding fingers, after being set inposition, were moved together so as to form pleats in the fabric, andthen these pleats were held by being secured by staples. After sewing ofthe pleats into the fabric, these staples were required to be removed.Hence, this prior art machine has not been entirely satisfactory, asbeing expensive, time consuming, overly difficult to use by someoperators, and requiring the insertion and removal of staples.

The present invention measuring device provides a simple and economicaldevice for measuring fabric material so that the fabric material can bemarked expeditiously, and with accuracy. The present invention measuringdevice avoids all calculations, and avoids the requirement of anexpensive and complex machine. The spacing between pleats may be readilyselected for any of several standard pleat spacings utilized in drapescurrently manufactured, and in addition the present invention measuringdevice provides for uniform distribution of the drapery material intothe pleats, so that each pleat along the width of the fabric making up aparticular drapery panel contains the same amount of material'as eachother pleat.

2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention drapery-measuringdevice comprises, in its preferred form, a length of elasticwebbing'having a nominal width of approximately 3 inches, wound onasuitable reel, and having a free end with a pair of metal grommets whichare used for holding the measuring device on a measuring table, on whichthe measuring device and material to be marked for draperies are placed.Alternate sections lying along the length of the elastic web member arerendered inelastic by the attachment thereto of a suitable inelasticelement: this may comprise an inelastic fabric piece sewn to the back ofthe elastic web, there being as many inelastic pieces as there areinelastic sections in the measuring device. Each inelastic piece extendsacross the width of the elastic web, being joined thereto, as by sewing,on a first line extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal directionof the elastic web. Spaced 3 inches from the first-mentioned line ofstitching is a second line of stitching which extends one-third thewidth of the elastic member, and superimposed on this line of stitchingis a color coded indicating line, for example blue, extending entirelyacross theelastic web, parallel to the first-mentioned line ofstitching. Between this blue line and the initial stitching line, in theupper one-third width of the elastic web is the numeral 3. One-half inchbeyond the blue line and the stitching line underlying it is anothertransverse stitching line, over which is a red indicating line, and thenumeral 3% colored red is in the space between this indicating line andthe initial line of stitching: the red indicating line extends onlytwo-thirds of the width of the elastic web. Another line of stitchingextends across the final one-third of the elastic web, one-half inchbeyond the last-mentioned line of stitching, and is color coded black;in the space between it and the initial line of stitching is the numeral4, also color coded in-black. Consequently, across the back of theelastic web is an inelastic piece having one straight line of stitchingextendingtransversely of the elastic web and with additional stitchingsewn in stair-step fashion, thetransverse portions of which are 3, 3%and 4 inches respectively from the initial stitching line. Spacedapproximately 4 inches from the last-mentioned line of stitching whichextends one-third across theelastic member is the initial line ofstitching of a second inelastic piece, which is identical to thefirst-mentioned inelastic piece, and which is the inelastic pieces willnot stretch. There are thus provided alternate stretchable, elasticsections and inelastic sections.

By the above presently preferred construction, there are achieved theobjects of the invention, which include the provision of a measuringdevice for drapery fabrics which obviates thenecessity for calculationof pleating and plain portions of the finished drapery, and which doesnot require either an expensive tape and pin organization, or a complexand expensive machine. Other objects of the present invention are toprovide a drapery measuring device which is economical to manufacture,easily used, even by unskilled workers, and which-is virtually foolproofin operation. A further object of the present invention is to providesuch a measuring device which will readily provide for the marking offabric to be utilized in the manufacture of draperies, and which willpermit the manufacture of draperies having plain unpleated portionsofuniform, selected lengths and with pleats having equal amounts ofmaterial therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING a portion of the drapery-measuring FIG.4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but with the drapery-measuring device instretched condition.

FIG. 5 is a view of an alternate drapery-measuring device in accordancewith the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, thereis shown a drapery-measuring device II in accordance with the presentinvention, which comprises an elongated elastic web member 11 having atthe free end thereof a pair of grommets 12. The web member 1 1 ispreferably carried by a suitable reel structure 13, on which the endopposite the free end with the grommets 12 is wound.

The elongated elastic web member 11 comprises in series an inelasticsection 14, an elastic section 16, and inelastic section 17, an elasticsection 18, etc., the measuring device 10 comprising as many alternateinelastic and elastic sections as are desired and convenient. In therelaxed or unstretched condition of the measuring device 10, each of theinelastic sections 14, 17, etc., has the same length and each of theelastic sections l6, 18, etc., has the same length.

Inelastic section 4 comprises a first portion 140 extending one-thirdacross the width of the web member 11, and is bounded on one side by aninitial line 14b of stitching which extends entirely across the elasticweb member 11, perpendicularly to the length thereof. Parallel to theline 14b, which may preferably be colored black, is a boundary line 14cof stitching. This boundary line 140 is spaced 3 inches from the initialline 14b, and in this first portion 14a there is the numeral 3, therebydesignating that the portion 140 has a length along the elongated webmember 11 of 3 inches. An indicating line 14d overlies boundary line 14cand extends entirely across the web member 11, it is preferably of thesame color as the numeral 3 which may be, for example, blue. A secondportion Me of the inelastic section 14 occupies the middle third of thewidth of the elastic web member 11, and is bounded by the initial line14b, and by a terminal line of stitching 14]; the terminal line 14f ofthe portion l4e lies a distance of 3% inches from the initial line 14b,and there is provided in the portion Me the numeral 3%. This numeral ispreferably color coded red, and a red indicator line 14g overlies theboundary line 14f and extends two-thirds across the elongated web member11. A final portion 14h lies across the lower one-third of the width ofthe elongated elastic web member 11, and is bounded by the initial line14b, and by a boundary line of stitching 14i which extends one-thirdacross the width of the elongated member 11, and which is 4 inches fromthe initial line 14b. In the final portion 14h is the indicator numeral4, line l4i being 4 inches from line 14b. The indicator numeral 4 ispreferably color coded black, as is an indicator line 14k.

From the above, it may be seen that the inelastic section 14 is boundedby an initial line 14b which extends transversely entirely across theelastic web member 11, and is also bounded by boundary lines 14c, 14fand Hi arranged in stairstep fashion relative to the initial line 14b,these latter boundary lines being respectively 3, 3A and 4 inches fromthe initial line 14b. There is thereby provided an inelastic sectionhaving three portions, each of which is of a distinct length, thatlength being the presently used length in the drapery industry of thespacing between pleats in a finished drapery panel. It will beunderstood that each of the inelastic sections 14, 17 etc., aresimilarly constructed, except that the indicator numerals are additiveto the indicator numerals of the preceding inelastic section. Hence, asshown in FIG. 1, the indicator numerals in the second section arerespectively 6, 7 and 8 and the indicator numerals in the fifthinelastic section are respectively 15, 175" and "20." When tension isapplied to the measuring device 10, the elastic sections 16, 18, etc.,for as many as there are between the spaced tension points, willelongate by equal amounts, whereas the inelastic sections 14, 17, etc.,will not elongate, and will not change their lengths.

The boundary lines above discussed have been referred to as lines ofstitching because in the preferred embodiment herein disclosed theinelastic sections are obtained by stitching spaced inelastic pieces toan elongated elastic web member. Hence, as shown in FIG. 2, theelongated elastic web member 11 has an inelastic fabric piece 20 sewnthereto by a first line of stitching 21 extending perpendicularly of thelength of elongated elastic web member 11 and entirely thereacross. Thisprovides the initial line 14b of FIG. I. A line of stitching 22 instair-step configuration extends across the inelastic fabric piece 20 tothereby provide the boundary lines 14c, 14f and 141. Hence, it will beseen that by the utilization of the inelastic fabric piece 20 and thestraight line stitching 21, together with the stair-step stitching 22,there is readily constructed the inelastic section 14 hereinabovediscussed. As many of the inelastic fabric pieces 20 with the samestitching patterns may be used as are desired in accordance with thelength of the elastic web 11, being spaced uniformly therealong.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a piece of fabric 30 from whicha pleated panel for a pleated drapery is to be manufactured. Themeasuring device 10 is shown with the initial line 14b of inelasticsection 14 overlying the right edge of fabric 30. Preferably the fabric30 and device 10 are placed on a table having pins which pass throughthe grommets 12. The fabric panel 30 is, by way of example, 36 inches inwidth, and in the unstretched condition of the measuring device 10, thefifth inelastic section will be seen to lie just to the right of theleft edge of the fabric panel 30. This fifth inelastic section isdesignated 27, and the boundary lines for the first portion thereof liesbetween the initial line 27b and the final boundary line 27c. Referringnow to FIG. 4, the present invention drapery measuring device 10 isshown with the left portion thereof stretched away from the right endthereof, the right end of device 10 and the right boundary of draperyfabric 30 remaining in the same position as shown in FIG. 3. However, ithaving been decided in the present example to provide a finished draperypanel of 15 inches width, from the initial fabric width of 36 inches,the terminal line 27c has been moved to the left, by stretching theelastic web member 11, and in particular the elastic portions 16, 18,etc., thereof so that the final boundary line 27c of this fifthinelastic section 27 overlies the left-hand edge of the fabric panel 30.This is readily ascertained by reading the numeral 15, color coded blue,and by placing the corresponding blue boundary line over the left edgeof the fabric panel 30. Noting FIGS. 3 and 4, the first elastic section16 has increased in length by a distance D. Thereafter, the worker marksthe drapery panel 30 at each initial boundary line 14b, 17b, etc., andalso at each of the selected final boundary lines 14c, 17c, etc., foreach of the inelastic sections.

Following this marking, the marks made at the beginning and end of eachelastic section are sewn together, thereby providing a pleat betweenthese marks. Each of the elastic sections of the measuring device 10will have stretched proportionately, so that each of the elasticsections in the stretched condition will be of exactly the same length:consequently, when the pleats are sewn, based on the markings at theends of each of the elastic sections, each of the pleats will containexactly the same amount of material of the drapery fabric 30. Further,since the spacing between pleats has been chosen, in the example given,to be 3 inches, each of the markings at the boundaries of the inelasticsections will be exactly 3 inches, it being understood that theinelastic sections have not in any way stretched or changed theirlengths along the length of the measuring device 10, and consequentlythe markings on the fabric panel 30 corresponding to the spaced sectionswill be, for each pair of markings, identical. This provides exactspacing between pleats.

It will be understood that if the spacing between pleats is to be 3Ainches, then the middle portions of the measuring device 10 will beused, and that if the spacing between pleats is to be 4 inches, then thebottom portions of the measuring device 10 will be used.

While the preferred embodiment hereinabove described comprises ameasuring device having three portions of differing length in eachinelastic section, so that a worker can use the measuring device for, atwill, the marking of fabric panels for 3, 3% or 4 inch spacing betweenpleats, if desired the measuring device 50 shown in FIG. 5 may be used,this having an initial inelastic section 51 of generally rectangularform, adjacent which is an elastic section 52, followed by an inelasticsection 53, etc. It will be understood that, as before, the inelasticsections 51, 53 are of equal length along the measuring device 50 andthat the inelastic sections 52, 54, etc., are of equal lengths in theunstretched condition of the measuring device 50, and of equal lengthswhen the measuring device 50 is stretched. Hence, there may be provideda measuring device 50 in which the inelastic sections 51, 53, etc., are3 inches in length, or 3% inches in length, or 4 inches in length.

By the use of the present invention measuring device, it is possible foronly five workers to mark and sew the same number of panels in a giventime which formerly required, in addition, a force of three draperymarkers.

There has been provided a measuring device for the marking of fabricsfor use as panels of drapery material which is economical to manufactureand which may be readily used, without extensive instructions ordirections, by the ordinary workers found in a drapery manufacturingestablishment. The drapery measuring device of the present invention isrelatively foolproof, avoids the necessity for calculations, and furtheravoids the necessity for providing elaborate and expensive equipment.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention and thereforethe invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings anddescribed in the specification but only as indicated in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A measuring device for measuring material for the manufacture ofpleated draperies comprising:

a. an elongated elastic web member,

b. a plurality of inelastic elements, all of substantially equal lengthand each extending substantially across said web member,

c. means for securing each of said elements to said web member atlongltudinally spaced locations with said elements being equally spacedalong said web member,

d. whereby said web member between the spaced securing means of eachsaid inelastic element being unstretchable to thereby provide ameasuring device having alternate elastic and inelastic portions.

2. A measuring device as in claim 1, wherein said securing meanscomprises a first line of stitching extending in a straight linetransversely across said web member, and a second line of stitchingspaced therefrom.

3. A measuring device as set elements being fabric.

forth in claim 1, said inelastic m I 7.5 ()(MA

1. A measuring device for measuring material for the manufacture ofpleated draperies comprising: a. an elongated elastic web member, b. aplurality of inelastic elements, all of substantially equal length andeach extending substantially across said web member, c. means forsecuring each of said elements to said web member at long1tudinallyspaced locations with said elements being equally spaced along said webmember, d. whereby said web member between the spaced securing means ofeach said inelastic element being unstretchable to thereby provide ameasuring device having alternate elastic and inelastic portions.
 2. Ameasuring device as in claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises afirst line of stitching extending in a straight line transversely acrosssaid web member, and a second line of stitching spaced therefrom.
 3. Ameasuring device as set forth in claim 1, said inelastic elements beingfabric.